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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · fall · rest · file · staff · chest · current · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chest — a box
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. current — happening now
  21. lie — to recline
  22. staff — a stick
  23. file — a tool
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com